History majors graduate from Northern with outstanding communication and research skills – and are prepared to think independently and critically.

    About The Program

    As an NSU history major, you'll use the historical method to investigate important questions about society; perform research and clearly present findings; and identify and explain the significance of important events and issues in American and world history. 

     

    Dedicated NSU faculty will help you make connections across time and space and fine-tune your writing and thinking skills.

     

    You'll learn to read critically, write effectively and reach your full potential as a citizen.

     

    History majors are found in a wide variety of fields. Many graduates find rewarding careers in law, education, business, museums, historic sites, nonprofit institutions, government, and more.

    Careers

    History majors with a bachelor's degree are employed across the spectrum of the American economy. Many work in private, for-profit firms in sales and marketing jobs, in the education and government sectors, or are self-employed.

     

    Potential jobs include educator, tour guide, museums/historical sites, park ranger, historic preservationist, archaeologist, think tank, cultural resources, writer, editor, multimedia producer, publisher, archivist, records manager, librarian, information manager, lawyer, paralegal, litigation support, foundations, contract historian, insurance, and intelligence/diplomacy.

     

    For more information on careers in your major or help choosing a major, contact Career Services.

    Sample Plans of Study
    Contact Information

    For more information about this degree, call 605-626-2267. Or, contact NSU Admissions at 605-626-2544 or admissions@northern.edu.

    Ph.D. History, University of California, Riverside, 1995
    M.A. History, University of California, Riverside, 1990
    B.A. Sonoma State University, 1983
     
    Dr. Ric Dias is a specialist in 20th-century U.S. history, concentrating on the American west. His primary interests…
    B.A. Pennsylvania State University
    M.A. University of Delaware
    Ph.D. University of Delaware
     
     
    Courses Taught
    HIST 151  US History I
    GEOG 210  World Regional Geography
    HIST 240  Introduction to Public History
    HIST 481  Material Culture Studies
    HIST 483  Museums and Archives
    HIST 480  Historical Methods and Historiography
     

    Dr. David Grettler specializes in early American and environmental history. He is also a historical archaeologist interested in public history and teaches courses in museums, archives, and material culture studies. Dr.…

    B.A. Stanford University
    M.A. California State University, Sacramento
    Ph.D. University of California, Davis
     
     

    Dr. Marmorstein has been teaching at Northern since the fall 1988 semester and is the current mace-bearer, the distinction given the longest-serving Northern faculty member.  He uses the handle "Ancient Art" because he's a specialist in ancient history and the most ancient of the NSU faculty members.  He teaches lower division Western survey classes and upper division classes in ancient history, covering ancient Rome, ancient Greece, early church, and world religions.

     

    Dr. Marmorstein did his undergraduate work at Stanford, earning his B.A. in drama (1974).  After several years teaching high school English and drama, he returned to graduate school, eventually earning a Ph.D. in history at the University…

    PH.D. McGill University, 2003

    M.A. Carleton University, 1991

    Master's Program/Certificate, University of Helsinki, 1990

    B.A. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, 1988

     

     

    Professor Steven Usitalo is a specialist in Russian and Soviet history, modern genocide studies, and the history of film. He is the recipient of several research grants. He co-edited an anthology on Russian history and published a monograph on the Russian polymath Mikhail Lomonosov. Dr. Usitalo is finishing a substantially revised Russian translation of his book on Mikhail Lomonosov. His research focuses on two areas: Russian/Soviet and Armenian film, and the history of the Roma in Imperial Russia and the Soviet Union. When time allows, he is at work on…